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Monday, December 28, 2009

After the holidays, Senor and I spent the day with our lovely niece, Arielle, and our darling nephew, Max. I researched places and events around town that would be entertaining for a 5 year old boy and an 11 year old girl. I have been wanting to see the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Jewish Cultural center and thought this might be the place to go. When I found out there was also a craft room there, I was sold. We were welcomed in by a guide who explained that most of the animals were made out of repurposed and recycled materials by many different artists. I love the use of recycling in art and believe that it will become a major movement in the future. The exhibit blew me away and the kids loved all of it's interactive capabilities. Who am I kidding? I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off touching and playing with everything. To top it off, we all were able to create our own recycled animals in the craft room. The kids and I went craft crazy and met a lot of other interesting crafters. A wonderful time was had by all and I would definitely recommend this excursion to everyone.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Ever since last Christmas, I have been begging my friends, Oscar and David, to throw another of their fabulous White Elephant parties. They not only open up their magnificently mod home to all of their friends, they provide all of the gifts. When I speak of gifts, I am not speaking of that Chia pet you received from your grandma or that horrific painting your aspiring "artist" friend gave you. I am talking about lovely and whimsical vintage items that were once near and dear to both of them. The rules of the game are the same in which everyone picks a number and wait their turn to pick an unopened gift or steal one from your "friend". We all enjoyed the friendly fire of competition while sipping chocolate martinis and basking in the glow of their over the top tinsel tree filled to the brim with wild-eyed vintage elves. The tree also rotated for maximum effect. By the end of the game, even the losers were winners. Senor and I ended up with gold and black Egyptian cat book ends and a lovely amber art glass candle holder. Our host, Oscar, led me back to their glass cases of vintage barbie dolls to show me that we weren't the only ones having a great time. Each shelf had a collection of groovy plastic guys and gals partying around tiny little Christmas trees. They left no fruitcake unturned in their Holiday display. Thank you, Oscar and David, for an unforgettable party and for leaving this taste maker in awe of your decorating genius.

Here are some close-ups of the mind-blowing tree. They even threw in a winking Christmas devil.The barbie dolls had a party too.The stockings were hung from the heater with care. The "care" being not to turn it on!Our host,David, is the fab guy to my left in the Mod Red and white shirt and psychedelic pants.Yours truly clowning around with our host Oscar and the glamorous Lorena California.The wonderful bookends Senor won.The beautiful art glass candle holder I won

Saturday, December 12, 2009

We have just uploaded a new project onto our website. Our client, Tomas Costanza, was very adventurous and a delight to work for. This hallway provided the perfect space for us to create a collage installation of his collection of vintage newspaper articles and ads. Our resident artist and installer, Steve Lanasa, created a custom finish that was non-yellowing and matte. This finish kept the original integrity of the articles and preserved their colors. This idea would also be great in an office or on a folding screen. In this digital age, it is comforting to be surrounded by the printed word.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

This little tree is my Aunt Gailia's actual Christmas tree this year. She is usually not a decor minimalist, but decided to take a more stress free approach to the holidays. Also, think how big your presents will look under that petite pine. Don't get me wrong. In the past, Aunt Gailia has done her share of over the top seasonal decorating. Everything down to the toilet seat covers were covered in some form of holiday imagery. No surface was safe from a yule tide transformation. I think Gailia gave herself a well-deserved Christmas gift by scaling back. My mother has been doing this for years since she bought a pre-decorated tree that hangs on her back door. I applaud them both for taking a break from the pageantry of the season and breaking it down to its purest essence.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Hello everyone!I would like to apologize for my recent lack of blog activity, not to be confused with brain activity. I will return to more frequent blogging about our projects and design ideas and inspiration. Senor Amor and I are looking forward to our first Christmas/Hanukkah together in Los Angeles. We have always gone out of town before. We are planning our first time holiday decor and are trying to figure out how to have the maximum impact with the least amount of investment. Fortunately, I still have gift cards left over from our wedding with which we can purchase a tree and some of the decorations. We will supplement these with more unique items from thrift stores. I have posted some inspirational trees and other holiday ideas I found on countryliving.com. I decided to go gold and silver crazy to complement my orange, black, silver, and gold living room. I will post pics of our progress.My dream tree!I have to use this branch idea. I would paint it glittery white.This is a craft project involving wrapping paper in mini frames. I would use a variety of small to medium thrift store frames to minimize cost and add variety.Grab a bag of pine cones and some silver and gold spray paint. Cheap and Chic!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

You can always add a little oomph to your decor with a lively starburst motif. Like the wheels on a car, these radial delights can really move a design scheme along. This motif can be found in nature in the form of flowers, snowflakes, sun rays, tumbleweeds, and outer space. The starburst reached its pinnacle in the 1960's when the space program inspired the atomic age. Designers responded to this new frontier by interpreting it's wonders into objects for the home. Radial and starburst patterns are making a comeback. We are again at a crossroads of nostalgia and futurism. We must take inspiration from the past and re-interpret it for the 21st century.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Jonamor Decor will be liquidating the last part of their inventory in a garage sale this weekend in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles. The sale will take place on Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th at our friend Julien Nitzburg's abode. There will be an abundance of vintage china, fabric, wallpaper, lighting, books, records, and clothes. Don't miss this chance to pick up fantastic Christmas gifts at rock bottom prices. If you are in LA, do not miss this event!

Monday, November 9, 2009

I am posting a sneak preview of a project we have been working on for the past year. Our client is a young, hip music producer from the East Coast. He purchased a rambling 1940's ranch house that used to be owned by Darla Hood of "Little Rascals" fame. Our client, Tomas, did not share Ms. Hood's love of dark wood panelling and wagon wheel rustic decor. He wanted a lively Willy Wonka play land with touches of Elvis and a Clockwork Orange. His love of 1970's Mod and Moroccan decor gave us our style model and would complement the original integrity of the house. We were given the challenge of creating a guest apartment out of a very raw room that had been used for Billiards. The drop ceiling was removed to reveal a higher ceiling that had many odd angles to it. We wanted to keep the height, but we had to utilize the support beams that crossed the room. After insulating and covering the ceiling, we created our own drop ceiling out of fabric which peaked in the center and created a mod Morrocan Tent effect. I love tent rooms and they are wonderful ways to add magic and adventure to a decor.BEFOREAFTER

Monday, November 2, 2009

After dressing up for a big Halloween bash on the 24th and attending Jer Ber Jones' creepy cabaret on Hallows Eve, I was a little Halloweened out by the big day. I was also flying solo since my husband, Senor Amor, would be Deejaying a party on Halloween night. I had been talking with my friend, Sue Nice, about hanging out at my house that night and making an autumnal feast. We decided to call some friends and find out who would like to contribute to our feast and participate in a more relaxed celebration of the dead. Three other people agreed to join us. Sue and I had to conjure up the spirits to add some festive touches to the meal and decor. Sue brought over some "ghost toast" she had made out of toast, cheese, and peppercorns. She also brought a little witch hat that she had made. We put the hat on my gold asian bust and festooned it with cute little spooky candles and napkins that were on sale at the grocery store. Luckily, our living room is orange and black, so you do not need to add much to make it a Halloween wonderland. Our friend Steve Lanasa arrived wearing a homemade ghost costume, which he later hung off of the balcony. This added the final touch to our impromtu Halloween decor. If you end up getting lonely this holiday season, break out some bubbly and tinsel, light a few candles, call a few friends, and create an instant party. Cheers!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Halloween is the time of year where everyone embraces the the darker side of life and set out to create their own macabre manors. I say, why hang a witch on the door once a year when you can add a little bit of witch to your decor? You don't have to be a Goth or a Vampire to frolic with the musty chic of unsettling decor. Add some taxidermy, a gilded skull, a Victorian portrait, a medical print, or a vase of white Calla Lilies and Voila! You are on your way to adding a little unrest to your nest. There are many wonderful examples that range from subtle to downright kitsch. In celebration of this wicked season, let's remember to inject a little bit of subversive humor into our surroundings and have a little fun.This Haunted Mansion themed office was created by super talented animator,James Lopez. Check out his amazing blog called Haunted Mansion Northside.This creepy library where dead animals roam free is at Challain-la-Potherie in France.These two photos are of our spooky ookey entry. The brown and gold faux crocodile vinyl creates a stunning backdrop for all of our macabjects.